The Unified Northern Drivers Racing Association seeks to keep Super Late Model racing affordable while putting on the most entertaining program possible.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TUNDRA AT STATE PARK SPEEDWAY

Posted on Jul 3, 2018

PORTAGE, Wis. (July 3, 2018) – Saturday marks the fourth visit of the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes to State Park Speedway in Wausau. All three events have been packed full of intrigue.

The series first visited the quarter-mile at the foot of Rib Mountain in August of 2015. The series was entrenched in a tight point battle between Dalton Zehr and Ty Majeski. The top two point getters found their way to the front with Zehr outdueling Majeski on a late restart to capture his first win of that season. Dan Lensing followed them across the line to round out the podium. The victory helped Zehr edge Majeski in the final standings.

A battle between the King of State Park Speedway – Mark Mackesy – and a young gun by the name of Derek Kraus was the highlight of TUNDRA’s 2016 event. The multiple-time track Champion surged past Kraus on a restart and had to hold the then-14-year-old driver at bay.

There was plenty of drama aside from the battle for the win. Both Ernie Schlough and Mike Lichtfeld looked as though they could become first time winners until they tangled while battling for the lead. The top two in points – Zehr and eventual Champion Casey Johnson – were involved in an incident early in the race. Johnson salvaged a Top Ten and Zehr jumped back to the Top Three with the body of his race car holding on for dear life.

This stop also marked the first visit of the TUNDRA Sportsman Tour. Dave Trute learned the quick way around State Park in a hurry but was being chased by SPS veteran Travis Volm. Volm went on to set fast time and closed in on Trute at the end of the feature. Although Trute had to sweat it out, he was able to hold off Volm by a car length.

Last season’s event saw Chris Wimmer flex his muscle. He became the first driver in his TUNDRA debut to complete a clean sweep by setting fast time, winning the Fast Five Dash, and dominating the 75-lap feature.

Much like the previous two stops, the race turned out to have importance toward the Championship run. Cole Anderson finished one spot ahead of Zehr, who made a late charge to Fourth. John Beale finished Fifth. That effort helped Zehr pad his lead going into the final two races of last season.

In the Sportsman, Travis Volm finished Second again (and again), but came out the winner. The TUNDRA Sportsman ran twin features. By virtue of his Second Place finish to Greg Back in the first 20 and Trute in the second 20, Volm secured the overall race win.

This season the TUNDRA Super Late Models and Sportsman Tour will be joined by the Late Model Triple Crown. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. with racing to begin at 6. After the races fans and competitors will be treated to a firework display.

State Park Speedway is located at 5711 North Mountain Rd just outside Wausau, Wis. For more information visit www.stateparkspeedway.com